Chevron Unloads Venezuelan Crude in US Territory After 4-Year Hiatus

On Thursday, January 19, Chevron unloaded the first shipment of Venezuelan oil to the United States since 2019. After a gap of four years, the US oil multinational received a shipment of 237,000 barrels of Venezuelan heavy crude at its refinery in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

Last week the cargo departed from the Venezuelan state-owned oil corporation PDVSA’s port Bajo Grande, on the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Kerala. Three other oil tankers are also en route to the US, traveling under the same US authorization license as the tanker Kerala.

First Chevron Tanker Arrives in Venezuela

A monitoring group also announced that it is tracking the vessels. International media reported on Wednesday, January 18, that the tanker Kerala had arrived at the PAS2 terminal in Pascagoula.

Another ship, Sealeo, chartered by Chevron has also resumed freight operations with Venezuelan crude to the United States. On Thursday it was reportedly waiting in the US Gulf Coast to dock and unload the Venezuelan oil.

Washington Greenlights Chevron to Resume Oil Production in Venezuela, Uses Mexico Talks as Excuse

US Treasury authorization
This happens after the United States Department of Treasury authorized a license to Chevron via the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on November 26, 2022, so that the company could carry out limited oil exploration operations in Venezuela.

Through a statement, the US Treasury Department reported that Chevron Corp had been granted General License No. 41 that allows oil production by Chevron’s joint ventures in Venezuela for sale and export only to the US.

“The Department of Treasury issues a license that authorizes Chevron to produce oil and derivatives in Venezuela, export them to the United States, and import into Venezuela the inputs and diluents necessary for the operation,” the license declared.

(RedRadioVE) by Victoria Torres

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/JRE/SC